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Herald Reporter—
VETERAN musician and war veteran Cde Dickson Chingaira who died on Friday last week at a city hospital, has been declared a liberation war hero. zanu-PF secretary for administration Cde Ignatius Chombo, last night said in conferring Cde Chingaira liberation war hero status, the Politburo considered his contribution to the nation.
“Cde Dickson Chingaira has been declared a liberation war hero. He has earned this because of his works during the war and he remained consistent after the war. The nation is thankful to his contribution,” he said.
Popularly known as Cde Chinx, the iconic musician passed on at West End Hospital in Harare.
He was 61.
Harare province had written to the party recommending national hero status for him.
Cde Chinx battled blood cancer for some time and was in and out of hospital.
He also had tried to seek help from prophets, apostolic faith churches and traditional healers without success.
Early this year, he released an album featuring Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services Civic Education despite his ill-health.
The iconic revolutionary musician had two wives with 10 children between them.
Cde Chinx joined the liberation struggle in Mozambique in 1975, where he led the Zanla Choir.
Music played a crucial role in the fight against the brutal Rhodesian regime led by Ian Douglas Smith.
It inspired guerillas and the masses into successfully waging a war against the Rhodesians.
Through music, Cde Chinx protested the brutality of the Rhodesian regime while motivating the oppressed blacks to take arms and fight the injustice.
Even after independence, Cde Chinx actively participated in the decolonisation of Zimbabwe during the Third Chimurenga (Hondo Yeminda) when Government embarked on the land reform programme.
Again, Cde Chinx musically became the face of the decolonisation process and churned a number of songs encouraging landless Zimbabweans into embracing the land reform exercise as it was one of the major reasons the liberation struggle was waged.
Online Reporter